Centaurs, Centaurs

Three of the most potent aspects now in effect involve what are called Centaur planets — a class of small, icy or rocky planets orbiting our Sun. The first one discovered was Chiron, in 1977. These kids don’t behave like asteroids, which mostly add detail and literary richness to a reading. They don’t behave like traditional planets, which establish the main lines of energy and dominant, obvious personality traits.

Image by Via Keller.

Centaurs talk about where we are doing the deep work, or where we need to be doing it. They suggest where we’ve been hurt and are therefore concentrating either power, or pain; they describe the shadowy parts of our psyche, places of doubt, fear and denial; and they can represent extraordinary gifts that we must learn how to handle.

The aspects begin with Sun conjunct Nessus. This is a fast-moving aspect exact on Friday, at 17+ Aquarius. Nessus is a planet that talks about the karmic implications of our actions. Its action is cyclical, that is, the story goes in an ellipse and comes back to remind us what happened. Therefore it also has historical implications, and is frequently used to decode any history of abuse or potential abuse that we may have experienced.

Aquarius takes this to the level of the collective: much of the abuse that we experience is at the hands of groups and elite institutions that tell us who we’re supposed to be, not be, hate being, envy, or whatever. Sun-Nessus in Aquarius is about seeing these rules for what they are. In general, they are brutal, contradictory, unspoken and designed to protect the egos of the insecure; and most of all they are the toxic byproducts of advertising; which is generally designed to make everyone else feel insecure or inadequate.

Next is Chiron conjunct Neptune. This event is fairly rare, lasting for about one year every 60 years or so; that year is about to end, with the mid-February exact conjunction (though it’s well within one degree of exactitude now). This has a focusing effect: clearing the fog from our long, woozy dream of Neptune in Aquarius. There is a reason the criminals in Washington and Wall Street could get away with conning so many people on Maple Street — we were willing to be lied to, and living our own version of the EuroDream or the American Dream or the Asian Prosperity Dream or whatever dream it was. Chiron is the alarm clock going off, and it’s also about focusing your eyes and taking that first drink of water in the morning to get your blood cells hydrated.

Last of the three: Venus is moving into a conjunction with Chiron and Neptune. This is a fun one, potentially: sexy, orgasmic, and the manifestation of fantasy. Luscious, in that respect: especially if you like women or are into being a woman.

This is, however, a complex aspect. There are struggles indicated, like: what if I don’t live up to my fantasy of who I’m supposed to be? What if I feel hurt or incomplete, and I’ve tried to make up with it by glamor or fantasy? What if I keep attracting men who don’t like women, and I compensate with my imagination?

Then one day the bubble bursts…вЂreality’ sets in. I think that among other things, this aspect is about balancing the benefits and risks of one’s sexual imagination, of one’s sense of existence as an attractive force. Yet there is often a disconnect: how much time do you spend waiting for what you want to come to you? How much time do you spend denying what you want? Maybe you need to spend less time go-getting certain things, and more time go-getting the ones you really want.

This entry was posted
on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 11:45 am and is filed under News.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

5 Responses to “Centaurs, Centaurs”

I was a teenager in the 60s and over the years, have shared pleasure with over 100 partners (in every possible combination) but at the wise young age of 56, I am here to say out loud to whoever might secretly feel this too……

What is the big deal about sex?

Yes, it’s pleasurable – as many things in this world are. Yes, it’s a special intimate activity to share with another – if you are sure you want to share their biological profile and karma. Yes, it can drive you crazy if you don’t get any – but there are many things you can do to relieve the itch (unlike needing air, food and water). Yes, it can take you to transcendent spaces – and so can other genuine spiritual practices. Oh – and making love in certain circumstances can make babies. Which is commitment that will take 20 or so years to complete, if ever.

I appreciate there are those of us who haven’t explored sexuality to the fullest and may need encouragement but the other side of this needs voicing.

If you aren’t all that interested, that too is fine. We all have our own rhythms and appetites.

Linda, you were fortunate to have come of age in a time when there were positive messages about sex, ready birth control, and no deadly sexual diseases. Few people under the age of 40 today have that benefit. Yet what was lacking in the 1960s was a sense of responsibility; a relational ethos; any conscious mode of integrating sexuality into one’s spiritual journey or growth process. There was “free love” but it wasn’t really free; a lot of people paid an emotional price and the perhaps more damaging cost of having their ideals blown up.

I think it’s useful to give people permission not to explore, to a point. Yet sex does more than you are saying; you are describing a viewpoint of sex that doesn’t contain a spiritual element, so far as I am reading you; the relational element you describe is rudimentary; there’s no Pluto or Chiron in there. No discussion of psychic development, emotional exploration, and the sense of shifting identity that can only come through actual — and grounded — experience.

I’m suggesting we tune into precisely these things, and begin associating them with our sexuality instead of just the basically flat concepts of gratification and reproductive consequences.

There’s a lot more going on in conscious sex than that. And there is one other level worth addressing. The tone of the sexual conversation of a society seems to set the tone for many other discussions; a culture that is tolerant and accepting of sexual diversity and experience is more open to other kinds of creative and loving experience. This is year another reason why people who are sexpositive need to offer their affirmative support and space-holding for an authentic conversation and make room for Eros in our world.

Eric wrote…”the relational element you describe is rudimentary; thereвЂ™s no Pluto or Chiron in there. No discussion of psychic development, emotional exploration, and the sense of shifting identity that can only come through actual вЂ” and grounded вЂ” experience.

IвЂ™m suggesting we tune into precisely these things, and begin associating them with our sexuality instead of just the basically flat concepts of gratification and reproductive consequences.

ThereвЂ™s a lot more going on in conscious sex than that. And there is one other level worth addressing. The tone of the sexual conversation of a society seems to set the tone for many other discussions…”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thanks for taking the time to respond, Eric. I find your obstacle-free opinion about what it was like to awaken sexually during the 60’s refreshing but inaccurate.

When it comes to sexual awakening in any time or on any level (as you pointed out) the obstacles are perpetrated by the ‘group’ or the structures of society composed of family, peers, medical establishments, religious circles and more recently – corporate marketing and their pursuit of the almighty dollar.

The issue is how to create space for oneself outside the noise to explore, reflect and design what one’s personal preferences, depths, boundaries and affinities are. This is what was missing in the 60s. It was molten chaos. And many had their own agendas, shadows and issues and preyed on the naive and the young – who had no idea how to establish boundaries or integrate their experiences.

Help me out here – where do we go to learn of Eros in a safe, sane, and sacred environment? Where are the temples of love? Where are the teachers, the lightworkers, the sane?

There have been pioneers in raising awareness and creating a safe environment to explore. One in particular is Stan Dale, founder of the Human Awareness Institute. I’ve never seen him mentioned in PW and yet the guy made a huge contribution to the uncovering of human intimacy, sexuality and spirituality and thousands of folks have done his workshops. (myself included) Werner Erhard also worked in this area – ever do est and its ‘Danger Process’ or his 6 Day Course? Both of these seminars included intense group work on body image and simply ‘being’ with another.

It all boils down to feeling safe. In birthing, in a relationship, in bed, in a group – doesn’t matter what you WANT to get out of the situation, the overiding context is ‘do I feel safe enough to let down my guard and explore beyond it?’ And this is especially true when you get your gear off.

I have no conclusion to offer but appreciate this dialogue. It’s quiet at the funeral home today and death and sex are very close. But that’s a whole exploration in its own right.

(( “There was вЂњfree loveвЂќ but it wasnвЂ™t really free; a lot of people paid an emotional price and the perhaps more damaging cost of having their ideals blown up.” ))

Quoting myself there, I would not describe this as “obstacle-free.” To the contrary, I think that a lot of people got hurt and there were not sufficient tools to deal with the obstacles.

I won’t venture into the teachings of HAI because to my knowledge it functions as a secret society; from everything I am told by its participants, there is a veil or vow of secrecy involved in the different levels. I have done “tantra circuit” to some degree as a teacher, and still do, and many people have said they see a similarity between my teachings and some of what HAI offers, with one exception being that I put all of my ideas out where they can be evaluated and commented on.

I have not worked directly with Werner but my therapist in Seattle was one of his longtime henchmen, and so I have received many of the teachings. I relate some of them, as I do with many of the teachers who have influenced me, in my horoscopes and other writings. I am not sure the “training” route is the way to go at this point; it’s not the route that I choose any more, though I think that retreats and intensives are a good idea, for those teachers who can withstand the energy of groups.

We are in a different time than any that our society has lived through, with many serious obstacles both inner and outer. I am suggesting that the safe and sane place is within, and then we can invite others to share with us in that space. I have only rarely found a place outside my own home/studio or the occasional space of a closer friend where I feel safe absolutely being myself. I continue to facilitate workshops when I am invited, I maintain my webspaces and hold space for the community that is forming around them, and continue to put out my ideas on a daily basis.

I can only speak for myself — and I remain easily available, phone numbers published, reading my own email.

Thank you Eric for having the courage to start this conversation. I have been on an intense inner journey for this whole last year and your posts have both pushed me, inspired me and supported me in grappling with the whole sex thing. I left an 18 year relationship behind a year ago in which the sex was on and off, mostly off towards the end, celibate for 9 months and then recently ended a 4 month relationship where the sex was amazing but the rest wasn’t cutting it. I am on fairly intense spiritual path as well. During my soul searching I have come to admit I really enjoy sex, have a healthy sexual appetite and find no reason it should not be a part of my life…BUT…..in our Judeo-Christian society of the walking wounded how does one find a partner secure and open enough to explore new definitions of relationship? explore the spiritual and healing aspects of sex? I am also finding in my daily encounters many people who are questioning their relationship parameters and redefining how they want to live their lives. Heterosexual monogamy just isn’t cutting it anymore. Part of the reason I believe is that it asks one single person to play ALL of the roles. What if we split it up, e.g. one person is a great roommate, another is a great financial partner, another is a great mother (male or female) and another could be a great sexual partner? Just a thought.